Dr. L. Christine Oliver is an Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Co-Director of Occupational and Environmental Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital

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Multiple Chemical Sensitivity: A Life Altering Condition

This documentary features numerous medical professionals and emphasizes the importance of making our workplaces safer for those who suffer from multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS), so that they can remain productive members of the workforce. Footage includes interviews with Gulf War veterans and 9/11 First Responders who have developed MCS.

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From “The Canadian Family Physician”, the official journal of the College of Family Physicians of Canada:

Pandemic of idiopathic multimorbidity

“Despite the entertaining educational soiree with my colleagues, I wondered whether industry-sponsored medical education was the best means to keep physicians apprised of emerging scientific information. If this approach to knowledge translation and the historical pendulum from research to clinical practice continue, we can expect it will take the usual 1 to 2 generations before health practitioners are familiar with the documented pathophysiological mechanisms and restorative approach to many cases of multimorbidity. If so, countless individuals with apparently inexplicable multisystem complaints will needlessly suffer and receive an incorrect label of being psychiatrically disordered. By the end of the evening, 3 things were evident: that the pandemic of idiopathic multimorbidity was real, that health care costs were escalating, and that the share price of antidepressant manufacturers would likely continue north for years to come.”

From “The Canadian Family Physician”, the official journal of the College of Family Physicians of Canada:

Approach to patients with unexplained multimorbidity with sensitivities

Various toxic exposures and their bioaccumulation within the body frequently manifest as sensitivity-related illness. In clinical settings, patients with this disorder often present with otherwise unexplained multimorbidity and sensitivities. The health status of patients with this condition can be ameliorated by removing triggers (eg, scented products), optimizing biochemistry, removing further sources of toxicant exposures, and eliminating the internal dose of persistent toxicants.

Other reports from Ontario that have received funding from the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long Term Care (MOHLTC) and the Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) including “The Quantitative Data” and “Recognition, inclusion and equity – The time is now: Perspectives of Ontarians living with ES/MCS, ME/CFS and FM”

National Defense Canada
MULTIPLE CHEMICAL SENSITIVITY SYMPOSIUM PROCEEDINGS
16-17 May 2001
A PDF of this…interesting document… (is no longer on the National Defense website)

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The Endangered Brain, Chemical Brain Injury
“The idea that the brain is the most susceptible body organ to the adverse effects of chemicals seemed a remote possibility a decade or two ago …
These workers’ complaints of memory loss, inability to concentrate, dizziness, lightheadedness, and loss of balance led Dr. Kilburn to consider how to measure brain functions. He borrowed and adapted tests and built devices to measure key brain activities, and learned to find out how symptoms predicted losses of balance, quickness, and strength, and loss of vision for color and form….”http://www.neuro-test.com/endangered_brains.htm

Canadians’ Right to Know Opposed by Chemical Industry
Vancouver, BC – A coalition of health and environmental organizations from across the country are demanding that the federal government change the law so that Canadians can find out what’s in consumer products.
The groups want the ingredients in everyday products such as cleaners and pesticides to be clearly identified so that people can make informed decisions about exposing themselves and their families to cancer-causing chemicals or hormone disruptors.http://www.cela.ca/newsevents/detail.shtml?x=3252

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Regarding IEI and the false claim that “The World Health Organization in 1996 proposed the term “idiopathic environmental intolerance” (IEI) be used instead”.

“One of the more outrageous claims that the chemical industry and its associates make is that the World Health Organization (WHO) supports the name change from MCS to IEI. The WHO was one of the sponsors of an International Programme on Chemical Safety (IPSC) workshop on MCS held in Germany in February 1996. This workshop was dominated by industry-associated participants and had no representatives from environmental, labor, or consumer groups. Instead, the non-governmental participants were individuals employed by BASF, Bayer, Monsanto, and Coca Cola (43). It was at this meeting that the decision was made to try to change the name of MCS to IEI….
In any case, the WHO issued a statement to the workshop participants after the meeting to try to put a stop to claims that WHO supported the name change from MCS to IEI. It stated that “A workshop report to WHO, with conclusions and recommendations, presents the opinions of the invited experts and does not necessarily represent the decision or the stated policy of WHO.” It goes on to say that “with respect to ‘MCS,’ WHO has neither adopted nor endorsed a policy or scientific opinion” (45). Despite this explicit disclaimer, claims that the World Health Organization supports IEI continue to be made by MCS opponents.

Ashford and Miller wrote about IEI and the 1996 World Health Organization workshop on MCS too:
“The four “NGO representatives” were full-time employees of BASF, Bayer, Monsanto, and Coca Cola, the first three of which claimed affiliation with an industry-funded science institute (the European Centre for Environment and Toxicology).’ Ronald Gots, director of the Environmental Sensitivities Research Institute, whose members included DowElanco, Monsanto, Procter and Gamble, and the Cosmetic Toiletries and Fragrances Association, was a participant and ‘was also invited to give the “U.S. perspective” on MCS’. Various outside “observers”, some of whom were involved in a lawsuit about “wood preservative syndrome”, were involved in drafting and possibly voting on the recommendations. After certain participants wrongly claimed that IEI was now WHO’s official name for MCS and IPCS received a letter of protest from 80 prominent U.S. scientists and physicians, ‘IPCS clarified the status of the IEI name by issuing a notice stating that WHO had “neither adopted nor endorsed a policy or scientific opinion on MCS.”’ The report now contains disclaimers, including ‘that the document does not necessarily represent the decisions or stated policy of UNEP, ILO, or WHO, that it does not constitute a formal publication; and that it should not be reviewed, abstracted or quoted without the written permission of the Director of the IPCS.”

Objective: This study was conducted to confirm the definition of multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS) in actual life: that multiple symptoms are provoked in multiple organs by exposure to, and ameliorated by avoidance of, multiple chemicals at low levels. We used the Ecological Momentary Assessment to monitor everyday symptoms and the active sampling and passive sampling methods to measure environmental chemical exposure.

Conclusions: MCS patients do not have either somatic or psychologic symptoms under chemical-free conditions, and symptoms may be provoked only when exposed to chemicals.

If we had the right to a healthy environment instead of the right to pollute, so much illness and suffering would be prevented. We can work together to make sure we put an end to this often completely debilitating and disabling yet preventable condition (and many others) by taking care not to pollute our shared air, water, and food, and to change the laws and regulations so that industries are no longer allowed to pollute for profit, but must act responsibly to preserve the health of all living beings as well as the planet we depend upon for life support. We were not designed to be polluted.

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Apologies for the formatting. I haven’t figured out how to make the appearance of posts like this easier on the eyes when WordPress changes things from the way I want them. If anyone out there wants to help me with this, it would be much appreciated.

You’re welcome. It’s good to have access to these.
I actually read most of the ones from many years ago.
As I am able, I will add more of the recent research too.
I think the autism community will yield more truth too.

“The publications listed on this page are a collection of peer-reviewed academic papers, newspaper articles, books and fact sheets regarding MCS/TILT/DELTA that are publicly available from other individuals and institutions.”

I have been looking for ways to get better … to heal this if I can. What are my options as far as you have found Linda?
I was looking at glutathione depletions and problems with detox gene genetic testing and methylation treatment with B12 a special folate .. many other supplements as to the Amy Yasko protocol.

Has anyone tried any of this and did any of it work. Also I found an utube video of a lady who did coffee enemas she said they really helped- anyone try it? opinions suggestions all welcome… please don’t leave me hanging here… thanks.

Treatments people try would require a whole new level of scientific scrutiny and a new site. I haven’t been up to it as it can vary a lot for different individuals as to what helps and what doesn’t help.

I don’t have a specific post up with treatments as they can be quite variable, depending on what led to the person developing MCS/ES, the science is also still emerging (look into therapies for autism and you will find some exciting developments that seem to mirror what helps people with MCS/ES), and also because I haven’t had the energy to compile everything.

My MCS/ES page does have some links that might help, and the post with Martin Pall’s public health warning has a link to his protocol, but aside from that, the basics involve stressing the importance of avoiding exposures, drinking purified water, eating unprocessed organic food, getting rid of toxic products, addressing stress with good coping strategies, and I will add “speaking up so that we are no longer invisible”.